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Mikes Tips

Part of the process of building a realistic flight simulator is determining dimensions and how pieces fit together. The main instrument panel and controls grab a lot of the builder’s attention, but secondary control panels are major contributors to the overall look and feel of a sim as well.
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Immersion is the feeling that you’re part of a virtual world. It’s what we aim for in our creation of ever more realistic flight simulators. We want to be a part of a virtual aviation world which allows us to experience flight as realistically as possible.

Control loading systems provide the forces which resist movement of the controls in simulators. Ideally the control loading forces will mimic the control forces experienced by pilots in real aircraft. In fact, designers of commercial and military simulators go to great expense to assure that they do.
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We depend on electronics for many of our sim functions. Circuitry interfaces flight and engine controls, blinks annunciator lamps, and spins steam-gauge style instruments. Mostly we can find suitable off-the-shelf electronics. Sometimes we build electronics because no standard gear will do what we want. Sometimes we build electronics just for the satisfaction it brings.
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The ingenuity of the flight sim community never ceases to amaze. In this article, author Mike Powell demonstrates another use of a product that can be found in almost any garage and is nearly equally as popular. Its simplicity will leave you dumb-struck.
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The term “Arduino” is popping up in flight sim circles with growing frequency. Discussions often lean a bit to the techie side which may be a bit off putting to some, and that’s a shame because Arduinos have a lot to offer.
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Head Up Displays in Fighters
The head up display, or “HUD”, in fighter aircraft allows the pilot to keep his attention predominantly focused outside the aircraft where the bad guys are most likely to be found. The HUD displays aircraft performance data, targeting information and weapon system status as an image overlaying the forward through-the-windscreen view.
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